Good varmint caliber? 204 ruger, 223?

[CrazyCanuck]

Looking for a new rifle needs.
Bull barrel, great accuracy, decent barrel life expectancy any suggestions on calibers? I really do not want the standard 22/250. I would like to get information on 6 mm stuff, 204 ruger, 223, 222? Any pros or cons? I already own a 22 magnum that does very well but would like something a little bigger and I like to play with reloading. Help? Thankx for all the ideas.....

 

[tdoyka]

20 vartarg is the one you want ;D

todd kindler from http://www.woodchuckden.com and http://www.saubier.com will get you going

 

[itchyTF]

There are so many to choose from. You need to determine what distance you are considering first. If you're going for distance (400 - 1,000), you will want to go bigger than the .20's.

 

[IMMORTAL]

Take a real hard look at the 204. I currently have two and they are my go to rifles. I have no problem taking pdogs well past 500 yards with them. Easy to load for and easy on brass. And cheaper to shoot than the 250.

My buddy has a 22-250 and everytime we go hunting, he sees what the 204 can do and wonders why he does not get one.

 

[ltam1198]

I have a Rem700 204, I shoot 39 & 40 grain. I call it varmint be gone. I've had it for 7 years, this gun has 1000s of rounds through the barrel We shoot it at a local match at 200 yards and took first place with 40gr vmax, you have to keep them clean for long barrel life. There's a lot of great calibers out there 6mmbr with 1-10 twist can shoot 87 vmax's, 600 yards or better with muzzle brake so you can see them exploded. The barrel life should be in the 3000 and up if you keep it clean and don't push them to fast.

 

[Webster]

I have a 6BR for ground hogs and non-competitive bench rest. You will probably get 50 replies. There are at least 20 calibers that would make a good varmint rifle. There isn't any magic caliber. Any bullet well placed will kill a small animal. Buy nothing but the explosive varmint bullets. You don't need bull barrel to shoot accurately. You don't want a 17 pound rifle to carry around.

I like the 6BR and improved versions for the great accuracy and barrel life. With a good barrel you should get close to .25" groups with no effort. Any load I put in my rifle will shoot under .5". I have shot 3 shoot groups under .200". It's a factory Rem 700 with a Kreiger barrel stuck on it. You will be amazed at the accuracy. After I burned out my 6mm Rem barrel I decided I wouldn't want any caliber that wasn't known for great accuracy. I am getting to old to spend the time trying to make a rifle that shoots .75" groups shoot better. This website convinced me to get a 6BR. I don't think you can say any of the other calibers like the .17s, 22s & 20s are known to always be extremely accurate. Accuracy is more important to me that having a barrel burner that shoots a little flatter. I have a 14 twist barrel and it doesn't like any bullets over 70 grains. This is fine for my needs. If I bought another barrel I would consider a 6BRX in 10 or 12 twist so I could shoot 65-88 grain bullets. I would get the free bore for the heavier bullets and just accept the longer reach if I want to shoot lighter bullets. With the 14 twist I can shoot 58 gr bullets at 3600 fps and 65 gr bullets at 3400 fps without signs of pressure.

22BR or 22BRX, the bullets are a lot cheaper. I know someone that shoots a 22 Dasher at over 4000 fps. I don't know the bullet weight.

 

[effendude]

I suggest a .223 Remington for 95% of varmint hunting. Easy to load for, easy to shoot, easy on barrels, economical, and factory ammo is available nearly anywhere ammo is sold in case you run out (that was a great trip). I also don't worry if I lose some brass. I mainly shoot prairie dogs and nearly all of the shots are within 300 yards, most between 50 and 200 yards. I like to hit nearly every dog, regardless of how much is visible. The .223 works on longer shots, but you must learn the wind to be consistent. I have shot coyotes with the .223, no problem.

I do have a 6mmbr but the .223 seems like a better choice for my hunting. I do often bring a .243 along for those really shots in the wind, but on many trips, I don't even take it out of the case. It might only see 10 shots in a weekend.

Everytime I come close to buying a .204, I stop myself. It works great for friends, I just like the ease of the .223. I havn't reloaded a .223 round for varmint hunting in 3 years, I have found Fiocchi or HSM ammo loaded with 40, 50, 55gr V-Max bullets for less than $.30 a round so I buy a couple thousand each year. My time is worth more than that.

Scott

 

[stacy]

I have both, their both great. I also shoot 17REM,221FB,22HORNET,222REM,204,223,22-250REM,22BR,22DASHER,you might want to try a 22BR I like it as good as any of them.

 

[Bangs OH]

.204 for smaller stuff and some coyote work; best thing about this round is that you can watch hits through the scope, also very accurate. Since you Canadians can get the Tikka Varmint in .243 up there, why not head to your dealer and see if he'll give you a discount if you buy both a .204 and a .243?

 

[A_Gamehog]

Each rifle has a great "Varmint" load/bullet combination they excel with.

204 Ruger it's the 39 Sierra BK 290 BC 12 twist
223 Rem it's the 53 V-Max 290 BC 9 twist
22-250 it's the 60 V-Max 265 BC 12 Twist
6RB it's the 70 Nosler BT 310 BC 12 Twist

In the dogtowns and heavy winds the higher BC is king. Barrel life is very good with the 204 or 6BR
It's just my opinion but for 300 yards and beyond the 6BR has no equal on Varmints.

Equipment:
I like a large Fluted Stainless Barrel for sustained shooting in squirrels or P-Dogs. The wind actually aids
in the cooling of the rifle think of the fins on a motorcycle head in a wind. Rifle weight is irrelevant from a bench.
Single shot actions slow down your ability to overheat the rifle. Savage Target action, McGowan barrel, McMillan stock.

 

[Lapua40X]

I have both the .223 and 6BR. I would agree that, for shorter ranges (300 - 400 yards), economy, availability of factory ammo if you run into more targets than you expected (that's a wonderful experience) the .223 is a fine choice. For anything beyond that 400 yard mark I'd be pulling out the 6BR.
The 6BR put's 'em on target with amazing consistency:

 

[P1ZombieKiller]

If you decide on a 6br, I have one for sale. Plenty of brass and bullets to go along with it if you want.


http://forum.accurateshooter.com/index.php?topic=3829690.msg36312330#msg36312330

 

[SS427]

When all the comparison shopping is done, the .223 Rem still comes out on top for about 90% of varmint hunting needs. Plentiful and inexpensive factory ammo. Inexpensive brass as well has high quality Lapua brass available. More bullets to choose from than any other caliber except maybe the .30 caliber. Easy to reload for. Lots of different powders will produce very accurate loads. Easy to find a rifle chambered in .223. Easy to sell if you decide to upgrade or move on. Only con is targets out past 400 yards become challenging, but for many of us that is true regardless of caliber.

 

[civil82]

I'm a 223 fan. As said above, not easy past 400, but I've killed as many g-hogs past that with a fast twist 223 as I have anything else. A good rangefinder and solid data is key.

 

[drgunlimited]

I too would like to pick up a .204...17...or...
but for now I use a Rem700 in .222 and a 6Dasher...

 

[tjtjwdad]

The answer is “they are all good choices” but you need to ask yourself these questions and then proceed from there;

- do you know what (and the size of the animal) you’re going to be shooting at (prairie dogs, coyote, ground squirrels)?
- shooting distances?
- are you going to limit yourself to just one rifle or will you be expanding?
- will this be predominately a walk around or a carry rifle?

I have a 17-HMR, 22-LR, 20-Vartarg, 204-Ruger, 223 and a 6mm-Remington. I feel I have the spectrum pretty much covered but they are all used in different situations. There is no magic “one gun” for me and many other choices are available.

Good luck,

 

[boltgunluvr]

Depending on your definition of "varmint".......223 Rem.

 

[tjtjwdad]

The other question to ask is; do you reload?

 

[K22]

I highly recommend the 223 for varmint hunting especially if shots are under 250 yards. I have seven of them and have been hunting varmints and predator with this cartridge for over 30 years. It handles 95% of my varmint and predator hunting needs.

This cartridge is extremely easy to reload to obtain varmint level accuracy (1/2 moa) in a quality varmint rifle and works well with several powders. It's easy on the barrel also which might be a consideration for high volume varmint shooting.

The only down side I see is due to the current component / ammo panic, 223 reloading components and ammo had been difficult to obtain in my area. Perhaps this issue is where the 204 Ruger might have an edge over the 223. However I have no experience shooting / reloading the 204 but see plenty of components and ammo available at the gun shops.

I used a 222 for many years also and it's an excellent varmint cartridge, again, out to about 250 yards but this cartridge may be headed for obsolescence due to the popularity of the 223 and introduction of new cartridges such as the 204 Ruger. This would be a shame since this is a fine cartridge.

The 22 250 is a premier varmint cartridge in my opinion. It extremely accurate and a good choice for long range, low volume varmint hunting. It's much harder on barrels than the 223 or 222 but has considerably more range. I've used it for years also but quite honestly, it's rare, where I hunt now a days that I need the range capability of the very fine varmint cartridge.

 

[wlsnmike]

+1 on 223. I have a cooper for my prairie dog rifle. When we do get to go we all have 223's makes it nice on ammo. 100 yards and you can wack em with about any varmint load. Then farther shots have some of favorite loads waiting. If you don't have a bolt gun in 223 it's kinda a must have. To me anyways!